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Linchpin
07-11-2008, 19:32
Just a question to whoever has experience.

Would u bubble a little CO2 through your water for your aquatic plants?
Henk Hugo
08-11-2008, 07:07
yes....
Linchpin
08-11-2008, 21:04
yeast, sugar and water mixed in a bottle?

any other cheap easy alternatives?
Henk Hugo
09-11-2008, 05:05
Tunzee CO2 regulators - R1800. 8kg bottle - screw top - R800.....
mtroboer
20-11-2008, 12:33
Hi, you could even use a Soda Stream bottle with a regulator from a hardware shop if you wish for a cheap alternative to the Tunze's! But the other than that it's the water, sugar and yeast.
Linchpin
21-11-2008, 09:22
Soda stream sounds buch better than forking out over 2 G's.
Thanks, can't believe I didn't think of it :)
Galibore
21-11-2008, 13:50
Please let us know if you get it to work. I've heard of it but could never find any off the shelf regulators to work on those bottle.
Linchpin
24-11-2008, 08:28
I'll see what I can do.

In the famous words of Jerremy Clarkson, "How hard could it be?"
:D
Henk Hugo
24-11-2008, 08:30
and then the rest of us shudder :D
Linchpin
24-11-2008, 08:41
LOL :D

If something goes bad and I happen to blow up my appartment, I'll post pics :)
Scaly
16-01-2009, 14:46
Should you remove plants from the pots, or can you keep them there for the long term?
LanceP
16-01-2009, 17:03
I've got a DIY Co2 generator and diffuser. The generator is straight forward to make as per plenty of articles on google.

With the diffuser, I use to place the airline tube from the CO2 generator (yeast, water and suger) into the tank with an airstone. It seemed to work fine as you could see the bubbles getting smaller as it floated on the surface. However, it also appeared to be inefficient since many of the bubbles popped before dissolving into the water. Then using an idea I saw on you tube, I created a diffuser using half a 500ml water bottle, an old small water pump, and an elastic band.

All I did was drill a small hole into the bottom of the bottle (open/cut-up side down) and pushed the airline through so that the Co2 would feed into the bottle and get trapped at the top. Then on the otherside of the bottle, I made another hole large enough for the water pump's "nose" to fit in. Then I used an elastic band to hold the bottle and pump together. You then submerge the entire "thing" into the tank completely submerged. You have to make sure that there is no air in the bottle before submerging it.

Basically what happens is that the Co2 enters the bottle and gets trapped inside. Then the water pump creates turbulance within the bottle which helps dissolve the Co2 faster. The water pump also helps push the water around so that the Co2 enriched water is distributed around the tank. Using this diffuser, there is no Co2 lost, and all of it is dissolved into the water.

Here's a rudementary picture of what I'm talking about:
49

Has anyone measured the Co2 content of the water from using such a diffuser?
solex69
20-01-2009, 06:53
If you don't want to go the CO2 route, get good quality ferts instead. I've never used CO2 and never had the need to. I can recommend you use one of 2 products:

1. Bellstedt Biologicals Plant Food (P.M me or Henk if you are interested, this is actually the only ferts I now use due to amazing results)
2. Flourish Excel (Available in any decent petshop)

I have Rotala Wallichii that is growing in my tank just fine without the need for CO2; I have proper light distribution in my tank + the ferts in point 1 above and all my plants are doing just gr8.

PS - Just make sure you have good lights in your tank as well

Just my 2c

Cheers
Dale

Cheers
Dale
Scaly
20-01-2009, 11:18
Hey CO2 fundis... would pouring soda water into your tank push up the CO2 levels?
Henk Hugo
20-01-2009, 12:07
thats how they used to do it in the old days....
Henk Hugo
26-01-2009, 07:19
Should you remove plants from the pots, or can you keep them there for the long term?

Sorry - only saw this now :push:

Yes you have to remove plants from the rockwool and plastic pots. I plant my plants in terracotta clay pots with normal topsoil and then i cap it off with pool filter sand and stones to revent my cichlids from digging them up.

Anubias and Javafern tie onto driftwood

HTH
Scaly
03-02-2009, 20:33
Thanks! Done and looking better! My swords took a bit of damage, but they seem to be recovering nicely...

I made CO2 reactors from pickle jars, drilled 5mm hole in lid, put a plastic pipe through, 50cm, attached an air stone and stuck them into 4 of my tanks. The mixture - 100ml brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon brewers yeast, 1 cup warm water. They have been going for 2 weeks now, a nice steady flow of CO2. My pH has gone down to 6.5 (from 7.5)in all the tanks with the reactors. 3 days into the addition, plants that were struggling, started making a comeback, the others became richer green and generally look healthier...My Bolivian Rams which I have had for quite sometime even laid eggs! (But a pleco got them:evil:). I have moved them to a new tank (ex jewels) and eagerly await the next batch...
Henk Hugo
03-02-2009, 20:34
sounds good man :D
butcherman
11-06-2009, 15:53
Soda stream sounds buch better than forking out over 2 G's.
Thanks, can't believe I didn't think of it :)


what ever happened to the soda stream idea?

anyone get it right?
Zoom
11-06-2009, 16:07
what ever happened to the soda stream idea?

anyone get it right?

If anything goes wrong with that idea, you'd land up with sparkling aquarium water... and dead fish
butcherman
12-06-2009, 09:50
what even if you put a needle valve regulator on it?
Zoom
12-06-2009, 10:17
Dunno... never tried that system. I'm running a yeast + sugar system at the moment going through a bubble counter. Seems to be working great.
theosmit
14-06-2009, 23:46
I made CO2 reactors from pickle jars, drilled 5mm hole in lid, put a plastic pipe through, 50cm, attached an air stone and stuck them into 4 of my tanks. The mixture - 100ml brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon brewers yeast, 1 cup warm water. They have been going for 2 weeks now, a nice steady flow of CO2. My pH has gone down to 6.5 (from 7.5)in all the tanks with the reactors. 3 days into the addition, plants that were struggling, started making a comeback, the others became richer green and generally look healthier...

My brain is going grrrr...grrr...grrr on this one :wondering:

Is there any implication of having a too strong CO2 flow? (Surely initial part of the reaction will be faster than the later part). How do you know if it is not adequate anymore. And can a fluctuation be harmfull to your fish or plants? The pH drop - that was quite a lot. Would a controlled system have the same effect?

The solution sounds VERY good considering the costs, but are there downsides? I can deffinately change the mixture every 2 weeks if it saves me R2000!:bigsmile: